Secrets
by Nanashi Wanderer
Summary: It has been years since Raven disappeared. Now as Batman, Richard Grayson has an encounter that reopens that connection he once had with his former teammate. Now with Gotham on the verge of destruction and total anarchy will he find Raven? Being rewritten
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay so here is my first foray into the world of DC Comics Fanfics. Please review to let me know how I did and please enjoy the prologue to this story. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. DC does. **

Prologue

The Bat Signal lit up the night sky in Gotham City. For months there had been no sign of the bat yet Commissioner Gordon continued to light that beacon in the hopes that the city's saviour was still out there somewhere. They had to keep on hoping or else the city would truly fall into a permanent darkness.

Just as Gordon and the two cops with him were about to return to the inside of the station a gravelly voice from behind him caused the aging man to turn around quickly.

"Good to see you again Commissioner" the voice stated as a dark figure appeared out of the shadows.

Much to the shock of Gordon and the other cops, there stood Batman, ready to answer their call.

* * *

Rachel Roth had not wanted to end up in Gotham City. After all she had been trying to distance herself from her superhero years for quite some time. She had been given a second chance to live as a normal teenage girl and did not want to waste it, despite how much she missed her friends. Yet much to her dismay the school trip she was currently on had been to go to Gotham City and receive a full tour of Wayne Industries, including a meeting with Bruce Wayne's second in command and temporary president; Richard Grayson.

For some reason that name felt familiar to her, but Rachel pushed it to the back of her mind as she tried her hardest to ignore the overflowing emotions of the city they were currently in.

"Come on guys; you know we shouldn't be out here at night. This is Gotham City after all and ever since the Batman disappeared things have gone from bad to worse" one of her classmates stated as the small group continued to make their way around one of the healthier districts of Gotham.

The most prevalent emotion that Rachel was sensing was the fear of those around her in both her group of 'friends' and the people of the city itself. After all; the crime rate in Gotham shot right up after Batman had left.

As she continued on, lost in her thoughts, she and her small group were jumped by a small, all male biker gang.

"What's a group of lovely ladies like you doing out in the streets alone?" the apparent leader of the gang asked as they all began to corral the girls together.

"It's none of your business" Rachel stated, trying her hardest to keep her free emotions in check.

The leader of the gang glanced at a couple of the other members before stating "she's mine" and riding right up to Rachel.

"Well I think it's about time that we have some fun, don't you?" the biker asked as he grabbed Rachel's arm and pulled her onto his bike. Suddenly she realised what they had been doing as they corralled them.

Now stuck in an alleyway in Gotham City (one of the worst cities in the world) the group of girls knew that they would be ended here in some way or another. Rachel however wasn't going to have any of that and she began to form the first word of her familiar spell on her lips. The spell didn't get anywhere as the screams of pain coming from four of the bikers snapped her instantly out of the semi-trance.

"Robin, I'm going for the leader. You take care of these two...got it?" a gruff and dark voice stated as the tall, muscular form of the Batman emerged from the shadows and leapt towards the leader of the bikers.

"Got it" the reply came before more screams of pain from the bikers were heard.

"Dammit man, no one said anything about the Bat returning" the biker whined as he began to rev up his engine.

He didn't get anywhere as he felt his body being lifted off of the bike and thrown hard onto the ground.

"Now who said you could terrorise these girls in my city?" Batman questioned angrily as he stood over the cowering biker.

"N...no on...one" the leader stammered as he tried to both catch his breath and keep from peeing himself out of fright.

"Well you'll just have to learn that there is a consequence for doing things like that. After all if there wasn't then you'd never learn would you" the Batman said, his voice getting darker every second.

"Y...yes sir" the biker responded as he picked himself up into a sitting position and faced towards his fallen allies, each one tied up by a young boy in the familiar red, green and yellow of Robin.

Rachel watched this entire scene unfold without even blinking. As soon as the Batman and Robin had showed up she felt a flood of emotions from a connection she had almost forgotten about. Intimidated and nervous about what this meant for her new life, Rachel backed away from Gotham's crimefighters and returned to her cowering friends.

When Batman had finished his business with the bikers, he turned to face the group of girls and in the same harsh voice he had used on the bikers' leader spoke to them.

"I can see that you're not native to Gotham City. Get back to your hotel immediately and never wander the streets of this city at night again."

Rachel was not pleased with the way that she was being treated by the Batman, but she also understood the seriousness of her situation. And she refused to let herself be pulled back into the world she tried so hard to escape from. Yet at the same time she was feeling very odd around the Batman for reasons other than the fact that he was Gotham's protector.

* * *

Batman and Robin returned to the underground base they had been using for the past while. It had been a long night and neither was really in the mood to discuss the incident with the bikers. After all they had been chasing Killer Croc for the past three days and still had yet to catch him.

"What caused you to attack those bikers like that?" Damian asked harshly as he removed the mask to his Robin costume.

"Honestly Damian, I don't know exactly why I did that myself" Richard replied as he removed the cape and cowl and headed towards the food that Alfred had set out.

'All I do know is that a connection I hadn't felt in years had just been reopened' he thought as he grabbed some of the food and began to eat.

End Prologue

**A/N: Once again this is the prologue to this story. As is probably evident I am a Rae x Rob fan so please if you don't like the story don't flame (though I don't really care if you do). Anyways I would appreciate feedback and please enjoy the rest of this story. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay so here is Chapter 1 of Secrets. I hope you enjoy and please understand that most of my stories will draw a hefty amount on comic continuity so please don't flame me if anyone seems different from their original versions. Anyways I hope you enjoy the chapter and please review. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. **

Chapter 1: Richard Grayson! I knew that name was familiar.

Rachel woke up the next morning irritable and wondering why Beast Boy wasn't making any noise. She then once again remembered that she was no longer a Titan and hadn't been for years. Sighing she sat up in her bed and looked towards the other three beds where her new friends were sleeping comfortably.

'At least they don't feel the pain of abandoning their friends' she thought as the others began to stir.

"So Rachel, are you ready to go meet the current president of Wayne Industries?" one of her friends asked as she saw Rachel up and awake.

"Barely" Rachel replied before their chaperone entered the room.

"Okay girls. Time to get ready," the excited female teacher stated as she woke up the other girls.

"Must be hoping to get something a little special from Mister Grayson" Rachel's friend whispered to her before they were forced to get up and get prepared.

* * *

The school group had entered into the Wayne Enterprises building and were swiftly checked through security.

"Please follow me as I present you with your tour of this wonderful building" the tour guide stated as she began to lead the class through the first set of doors.

Rachel and her small group of friends followed behind, but she felt an unusual sense of apprehension as she walked through those doors. Somehow she just knew that she would be seeing her old friends real soon.

* * *

"Master Richard, you need to wake up immediately" Alfred's calm voice said as he pulled open the blinds inside Richard's room.

"Alfred give me another half hour would you?" he asked as he turned over and progressed to attempt to get some more sleep.

"I'm sorry Master Richard, but I cannot do that. After all you have that tour with the New York school that you must attend in said amount of time" Alfred responded.

Richard shot up in an instant. He had completely forgotten about that after the long night he had just gone through. Quickly making his way to the shower he rushed through one and then went on to change into a presentable suit and make his way to the Wayne Enterprises building (luckily for him it was only a five minute drive). Rushing through the front door of the building he quickly made his way to the elevator on the far side of the room (the employee's elevator) and entered into his office just moments before the knocking on his door signalled the arrival of the group of students.

"You're lucky" Damian hissed to Richard when he sat down in his chair.

"Well I'm here now am I not" Richard hissed back as the class filed into the office that the duo was in.

"And now here I present to you the temporary president of Wayne Enterprises...Richard Grayson" the voice of the tour guide stated as the door opened.

Richard and Damian were left to just sit as the class filed into the room. Giving each other a quick glance they then steeled themselves for whatever would come next.

* * *

Rachel was unimpressed with Richard Grayson. He was the typical idiot at the top of a huge business and she could clearly see that the thirteen year old boy with him was the business genius.

"Mr. Grayson was so hot" one of the girls in her class stated, pulling Rachel back into reality.

"Yeah we can all tell he's just the egoistical pretty boy at the top of the business" Rachel muttered. "It's clearly that kid who runs the company."

"Oh so Rae loves the younger boys now does she?" one of her friends taunted causing Rachel to bristle.

'No, I just can't admit who I was in love with' Rachel thought as she continued down the street towards the bus that they would take them back to the hotel.

Just as they approached the bus a blackout occurred right in the middle of the day. As soon as the lights turned back on every television and computer screen in the city began to broadcast a single sentence.

"You are now under siege" was the sentence that blared across the screens just as a numerous explosions rocked the city.

"What was that?" one of the boys asked. His eyes staring out at the rising smoke in fear.

Without receiving an answer the boy was ushered inside of the bus, followed closely by the others in the class as they made their way back to the hotel.

* * *

Richard and Damian were already long gone from the Wayne Enterprises tower as the explosions went off. Returning to the underground compound they used as their home base the two immediately changed into their Batman and Robin outfits.

"Robin we'll need to split up. I need you to check the docks while I go to the ruins of the airport" Batman told the boy as soon as he had finished gathering the locations from the computer.

"Gotcha" Damian responded as he grabbed the helmet for his specialty bike and jumped onto it. "Just make sure that I don't have to come bail your butt out this time."

Batman grinned. Damian really was progressing as a hero. Soon he'd be ready to join the Teen Titans and then Cyborg would have to watch over the kid. Changing his focus back to the issue at hand he took one last look over the information on the computer before heading towards the garage that held his vehicles.

"Taking the plane sir?" Alfred asked as Batman walked past him.

"Not today Alfred" Batman replied as he stepped past the older man. "Today feels like a day to go with the classic."

Alfred smiled as he saw Batman walk over to the Batmobile and climb in.

"Good luck sir" he called out, getting a wave in response from the Bat.

"Don't worry Alfred. Damian and I will be back for dinner at the very least" Batman called out before firing up the engines and speeding out of the compound.

* * *

Rachel was out on the streets of Gotham. It wasn't something that most people would encourage, but with the disaster that no one really understood having occurred she felt that it would be for the benefit of the people if she returned to being Raven...even for this short time.

Grabbing the cloak she always carried around for a sense of normalcy and security the she had climbed out of the hotel room's window and attempted to fly for the first time in a few years. Amazed at how well she had retained the usage of her powers she swiftly began to traverse the city's skies. Well at least she did that until she arrived just outside what was formerly the Gotham City International Airport.

Gasping in shock she floated down to the ground level and began to search the wreckage for survivors. Sadly all she found was the mangled and broken bodies of numerous people who were inside the airport at the time of its destruction. Suppressing her urge to vomit at the grotesque sight she continued to search through the wreckage until the sound of a high powered car caught her attention and she took to the skies, choosing a safe distance where she could watch the newcomer at work.

When the car came to a stop Rachel saw none other than the Batman step out of the vehicle and make his way to the location she had just been at. As soon as she saw him look over the wreckage she had already searched through a very powerful feeling of guilt and sickness washed over her. It caught Rachel by surprise and took her a moment to realise that it wasn't her who was feeling that way.

Deciding that Batman was doing fine alone, Rachel flew away allowing herself the chance to once again breathe easily as she headed towards the next location...the docks.

* * *

Batman had arrived at the destroyed airport clearly focused on what he was doing. However, when he had reached the wreckage itself he had felt a sudden wave of emotion coming from the bond he had once shared with Raven. Turning around he only saw an empty sky filled with smoke. Sighing he returned to his work and began searching the wreckage for something that would give him a hint as to who had done this and placed his city in peril.

It took him ten minutes to find what he was looking for as a shard of some sort of explosive lay in the grass nearly three hundred feet away from what had been the front entrance to the airport. Walking up to the shard he picked it up and activated the scanner inside his cowl.

"Oracle, I need you to analyze the chemical on here for me" Batman began. "I believe I know what it is, but I'd like some confirmation before I make any other moves."

"Gotcha" Oracle responded through the communicator inside the cowl. "It'll only take me a few moments."

Batman gave his assent before returning to searching for anything else. After a short while Oracle's voice returned to his cowl.

"The chemical is promethium" she told him, causing a scowl to appear on Batman's face.

"Alright, thanks Oracle" the dark growl the came from the Bat was unusual as he returned to the Batmobile and sped off back towards the compound.

"Robin come in" Richard called through is cowl's communicator. When no response came he began to get upset and changed his direction towards the docks.

'What's that kid got himself into this time' Richard thought as he sped down the streets.

End Chapter 1

**A/N: There it was...chapter 1 of Secrets. Just a few notes I have for this are as follows. First I plan on using the current Bat-Family from the comics in this story, so Oracle, Batgirl, Red Robin and of course Batman and Robin will be included in there as well as a few others. Second the ages of the characters in this story (at least the three primary ones) are Richard Grayson (Age: 28), Damian Wayne (Age: 13) and Rachel Roth (Age: 16) as the story takes place three years after Richard takes over as Batman. Third is the fact that Rachel returns to being Raven pretty much immediately due to the siege that is taking place over the city. I hope you enjoy the story and please review, I always enjoy them and they help motivate me to write. Till next time, **

**Nanashi Wanderer**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay so here is Chapter 2 of Secrets. Please enjoy and review. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or Batman. **

Chapter 2: The New Robin

Rachel had made her way easily towards the docks. Seeing as it was the only location with a huge plume of smoke near any water there was little chance she was wrong. However the sight she saw when she arrived at the docks proved to be quite shocking.

Below her was a boy no more than thirteen, dressed up as Robin and facing nearly thirty armed thugs. Worried for the safety of the boy Rachel made her way into the fray, calling upon her powers for combat for the first time in years.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos" she called out as a black aura enveloped some of the broken boat pieces littering the wreckage and hurled them into the thugs.

"What was that?" one of the thugs called out yet was swiftly silenced by this new Robin.

"Stay down this time" Rachel heard the Robin say as he kicked his fallen foe in the side for good measure.

As he was doing that Rachel noticed another two thugs rush the boy and she instantly called upon her magic again to knock those two out as well. This time however the boy spotted her and she could see a scowl on his face.

"I don't need your help" this Robin called out to her, causing Rachel to scowl as well.

This boy was clearly an arrogant brat, but she wasn't going to let that get to her right now. After all there were people who needed saving and that was something she was going to do.

* * *

Damian was furious with the cloaked girl. She was intruding on his mission from Batman and he was determined to complete it himself. After all his initiation into the Teen Titans was depending on how well he followed the orders set out for him by Batman.

Now this cloaked girl was really irritating him because he was forced to fight alongside someone who wouldn't follow his lead and instead decided to head off on their own to face these thugs. Growling he leapt back into the fray and began to continue the incapacitating of the thugs.

Rachel was glad to see that this new Robin wasn't going to question her involvement in the fight and instead just assist her with the conflict. As the thugs continued to be cleared out she realised that she could sense a worried and angry presence approaching them at a fast speed. When she finally clued in to what it was she was too late as the Batman suddenly appeared and entered into the fray as well.

* * *

Richard was angry. Yet he was not angry at Damian or himself. What he was currently angry at was the sight of a metahuman fighting in his city. Sure he had nothing against metahumans in total, but he was also one to stand by Bruce's one rule that this city did not need those kinds of people to keep it clean. What made this worse was the fact that this specific metahuman was the one who had abandoned him years ago.

After he had punched out two thugs and tripped a third, Richard was sure that the fighting was almost over as he began to search the fallen bodies of the thugs for anything that would prove the theory that was formulating within his mind.

At the same time he was keeping a careful watch on the cloaked girl. He could tell from her nervous urge to fly away that the Batman was doing his job correctly and continued to check for the object he needed. When none turned up he let out a sigh of frustration and turned his attention to the girl in the sky.

"Raven, what are you doing in my city?" he asked with all the venom he could muster.

* * *

Rachel was completely caught off guard by this. She knew that she could feel all of the Batman's emotions pretty easily, but never did she expect that he would know her by name.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise that I couldn't assist the city" she answered, cringing still from the venom that laced Batman's voice.

"Well I appreciate the effort, but this is not a job for you, now leave" Batman ordered. The familiarity Rachel had sensed from him being long gone at this point.

"And why should I listen to you?" she questioned, purposefully acting the way she had done when in her early days in the Titans.

"Because this is my city and I am in charge here" Batman barked, unknowingly giving her the satisfaction that she had wanted.

"Well then, you'll have to include me in this operation, seeing as I can't leave until this siege is over" Rachel said, smirking underneath her hood as she immediately took the upper hand.

"Fine, do whatever you want to, but leave me to do what I need to accomplish" Batman told her with a growl before signalling to Robin to follow him.

* * *

Damian could tell that there was tension between these two. After all, Richard rarely ever got that mad, even with the numerous psychos they had to deal with continuously in Gotham.

When he had been signalled to follow Richard, Damian immediately set out after him. He didn't want to get into another fight with his mentor and was desperately trying to prove himself ready to join the Teen Titans.

* * *

Richard was in a foul mood as soon as he entered the Batmobile. Why had Raven returned now of all times. And why was she in Gotham City?

As he struggled to find his answers to this question, he became even more irritable and forced himself to clear his mind and once again focus on the fact that Gotham had been attacked and he had a very strong feeling of who it was that had launched that attack. After all there was only one person whom he could remember using promethium.

* * *

Rachel remained at the docks for a while longer. She was angry at Batman (who just had to be her Robin) and his attitude towards her. There was nothing she had done wrong. She had left the Titans for personal reasons and just so happened to be in Gotham when it fell under siege. So what if she hadn't been playing hero for the past seven years. She had experienced something that brought her back to a younger age, something she couldn't remember. However she was glad for it as it allowed her a chance to redo her life. This time making friends and enjoying what was given to her.

After a while she decided she should return to the hotel and silently made her way back into the room, returning into her civilian clothes and her Rachel persona. This left her feeling as empty as she had when Batman had left. Pushing aside the feeling, Rachel collapsed on her bed and fell into a deep sleep.

End Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay that was chapter 2. I planned on this chapter giving Raven the chance to once again encounter Batman (Richard) and Robin (Damian). I will explain the age thing in more detail later in the story as well as it could prove troublesome to some people, but please bear with me on this account. Now the next two chapters will focus on Damian so please enjoy them. Now I believe that I've given a pretty big hint as to who one of the two primary villains of this story is. Please leave a review and if you want to, try to guess what the two villains are. Talk to you next time, **

**Nanashi Wanderer**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Batman or Teen Titans. **

Chapter 3: Curiosity can kill the Cat

Damian had never seen Richard get as angry as he had today. The only times he had seen that were when he fought Professor Pyg the last time and when the gang war had been brought to an end. It was both awe inspiring and scary all at once.

Pushing that thought from his mind Damian returned his attention to the training he was currently doing with said man. He had requested it today as a way of trying to loosen him up about what his relationship with this Raven was. After all if he was going to take over as Batman eventually, he'd need to be a good detective.

"So you knew that woman who I fought alongside at the docks?" Damian asked casually as he dodged one of Richard's attacks.

"Yes, she was a founding member of the Teen Titans alongside myself, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Starfire" Richard answered coldly.

Damian however was pleased as he was getting his mentor to talk about his past. That was definitely a good sign for him.

"Were you involved with her or something?" Damian questioned next and immediately regretted it as he saw Richard's face darken immensely.

"In a way we were. However that was before she disappeared from the team" he told the boy. "Now I don't feel like any more questions about this topic so let's change it to something else."

Damian nodded in understanding and their sparring match continued.

* * *

"I really shouldn't have asked him any of that" Damian muttered as he walked back to his room after the match. "I feel like he made sure to give me a few bruises just for that reason."

Rubbing his sore arm the boy turned and began to make his way towards his room, but stopped when an idea struck him.

'Richard keeps files of his time with the Titans. If I remember correctly he pretty much has information on every single Teen Titan out there' Damian told himself as a Cheshire cat grin spread across his face.

Turning around, Damian snuck back towards the bunker. Heading towards the computer, Damian easily got into the main set of information. Now he just had to narrow it down further to find exactly what he was looking for.

Numerous different pages scrolled by as he searched for Richard's collection of information on the Teen Titans. Cursing the fact that he was getting nowhere fast, Damian decided to change his search specifically to the term 'Raven'.

As soon as he had put that into the computer a collection of nearly three hundred classified files appeared on the screen. Grinning devilishly, Damian mentally patted himself on the back as he began to sift through all the ones that didn't require a password to access.

* * *

Much to his surprise Damian was able to go through nearly all of the files as barely any had passwords. Most were just discussing missions that the Jump City team had taken part in, but the last file was encrypted and Damian actually had to hack into it. Once he had opened it his jaw nearly fell to the floor. Within it was an article from seven years ago discussing the death of Raven and how it had affected the Titans.

What Damian found next was even more unnerving. Apparently Richard had spent two years of his life trying to find Raven and when she had finally shown up dead he entered into a very dark moment of his life where revenge became the only thing keeping him alive. Damian soon realised that this file wasn't one of Richard's and was actually one of Bruce's.

At that moment footsteps had become audible outside the room and Damian swiftly closed down all the files he had been sifting through. Richard was in a bad mood and he really didn't want to make it any worse than it already was. Silently he made his way towards the sparring area and pulled a shinai off of the weapons rack before entering the ring. He was going to make himself look as inconspicuous as possible to hopefully mislead whoever was coming into the room.

Much to his terror it was Richard who had entered the room. Only now he seemed much calmer (possibly due to the cup of tea he had with him). Deciding that it was safe for him to leave, Damian exited the sparring area and placed the shinai back on the weapons rack. Making his way to the door he was stopped by Richard's voice.

"Did you find what you were looking for about Raven?" Richard asked from his seat. His indifferent voice was very unnerving at this moment and gave Damian shivers.

"Possibly" Damian answered before exiting the room as fast as possible and immediately proceeding to his own private sanctum.

* * *

It wasn't until a few hours later that Damian had the courage to exit his room and proceed to the kitchen to get something to eat.

"Master Damian what are you doing?" Alfred asked when he saw the new Robin enter the kitchen.

"Well, I'm just trying to get something to eat" Damian replied as he ignored the older man and walked right up to the fridge.

"You went into Master Richard's files didn't you?" Alfred questioned, once again causing Damian to freeze.

"How do you both know that?" Damian asked, his current attitude strongly resembling a typical teenager.

"Well, it's not that hard too when Master Richard has the main computer linked up to one in his room and whenever a file is opened on the main one he sees it on his" Alfred answered politely.

Damian cursed before returning to the inside of the fridge and grabbing himself some more edible items.

"Well then I don't think we need to talk about it anymore" Damian finally said after emerging from the fridge.

"Actually I want to applaud you on this" Alfred replied. "Master Richard needs to avoid searching out the reason for Miss Raven's reappearance or else he will not be able to discover who attacked the city. I would like you to figure out this mystery for him please."

Damian's eyes lit up. This was going to be the moment he proved himself as Robin, taking him one step closer to joining his father's legacy. He was given a solo mission.

"Alright, I'll do it. However I would like this to be kept secret from Richard if at all possible" Damian said, his indifferent face easily being overcome by the light in his eyes.

Alfred smiled to himself as he heard this. "Okay I promise that Master Richard will not know of your activities on this matter. Though I would like you to let me know what you find."

Damian nodded before rushing out of the room. Now was the time for him to suit up and search out Raven.

End Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay so that was Chapter 3 of Secrets. I know it's been a while, but I had some other things I desperately needed to write. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter and just a note...subsequent chapters for the next while will put a greater focus on Damian and his search for why Raven is here than the interaction between Richard and Raven. Please review, enjoy and until next time (which will hopefully take less time), **

**Nanashi Wanderer**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Batman or the Teen Titans**

Chapter 4

_Richard ran out of the Titans Tower. Raven had just left moments ago and he was trying to figure out where she would have gone. _

"_Dammit Raven, where the hell are you going?" he asked, no answer coming to him. _

_Starfire and Cyborg came up behind him as they attempted to prevent him from racing off the island and beginning his search. _

"_Friend Raven must need time alone, I believe we should let her have it" Starfire said as she tried to guide Richard back inside. _

"_No, if she needed that she would have told someone. This is completely different" Richard cried out as he attempted to struggle free of Starfire's insanely powerful grasp. _

"_Friend Robin, please calm down. The team needs you, I need you to stay strong" Starfire urged. "With the appearance of this Deathstroke we need everyone we have at full strength." _

_Richard gave a grunt in response before turning around. The dark look in his eyes was painful for Starfire, but before she could say anything to him she was hushed by Cyborg's hand on her shoulder. _

"_We should probably leave him alone for a while" Cyborg said softly before leading Starfire back inside. _

_Richard remained just outside the door. Anger was radiating from him, as well as an immense feeling of loss and sorrow. Everything he ever cared about left him that much was certain. Now in many ways he truly understood where Bruce's cold exterior came from. Yet he did need to steel his resolve. This Deathsroke wouldn't be allowed to cause anymore harm than he already has. Returning to the tower he took one last glance back in the direction that he could tell Raven had left. At least they still shared that bond. That would help him continue to lead the team until he could search for her. _

* * *

Damian wasn't certain that he would be able to sneak the R-Cycle out of the bunker without being caught. There were too many factors that could lead to him being caught and/or punished severely for what he was doing.

Yet deep within him he knew this wasn't rebellion. This was a mission he had been asked to take part in and he wasn't going to fail it now. Slipping his domino mask over his eyes the teen climbed on the bike and sped off into the daylight. He was extremely thankful that this hadn't gotten him caught as he continued onwards.

"Okay so I have to find this Raven. Where would she decide to hide? What would her civilian identity be?" Damian mumbled as he sped along the streets of Gotham.

Just as he rounded another corner he caught sight of something that was expected during these 'apocalyptic' times in Gotham. Civilians were demoting themselves further and further into the criminal cesspool of the city.

"Disgusting" Damian nearly spat as he drove by.

The presence of Robin in the immediate area forced many people to stop what they were doing and back off. Many rumours had been spread about him and none of them were too pleasant.

Damian could only smirk at the sudden reactions of the people. He loved the feel of intimidating people just by passing through. Sure he had no reason to truly intimidate anyone and none of the Robins before him were like that, but there's always a first for everything (especially with Richard as Batman).

As he approached the next corner though, Damian heard a noise that he was all too familiar with. Screams of terror were echoing throughout the alleyway and Damian knew exactly what he had to do. Racing into the alleyway the current Robin leapt from his bike and landed right beside the group of thugs.

"Well what do we have here" Damian began, purposefully taunting the thugs.

"And who might you be punk?" one of them asked before noticing the traffic light coloured costume. "Damn we've been caught by the bird."

Damian gathered a smug expression onto his face as he stared down the thugs. "That's right. Now I expect all of you to back off easily and without any trouble."

As the thugs backed up Damian decided that he had a change of heart and immediately went into combat mode. Swiftly he rushed the first man and delivered a heavy blow to his gut. Then he proceeded to the second and gave him a hefty kick to the head. With two of the seven thugs already down Damian was taking the lead. Unarmed and smaller than most of them he proved to be a very dangerous foe as his feet and fists flew fast and furious into each of the thugs taking them down with little hesitation.

It had only been three minutes of his life used up to take them down and he was feeling quite smug about it. However when he turned around to find the young woman who was being assaulted his attitude shifted (a technique Alfred had spent nearly a year drilling into him). With a kinder tone and a more delicate approach Damian knelt down next to the young woman and extended his hand.

"Where are should you be?" he asked, trying his hardest to prevent any irritation with this intrusion on his mission show.

"I should be with the rest of my class at the hotel that way" the young woman pointed. "I'm part of a group that came from New York."

Damian clued in to what group was being discussed (after all they had visited Wayne Industries only a couple days before) so he nodded in a fair amount of understanding.

"Alright, can you get up on your own?" he asked, retaining the calm, collected and polite attitude he had been using.

"Barely, thank you. You know one of the girls in our group has some sort of thing about you, well at least your predecessor...I think. I think it's the west coast Robin."

Damian's eyes lit up. Somehow this seemed like the perfect opportunity to start his search for Raven. Who better to start with then someone who had an interest in Richard? He knew it was a thin chance, but it was better than anything else he had to go on at that moment.

"Well, please let me escort you back. It is a very dangerous city after all, especially now" Damian tried to be as suave as possible and apparently it worked.

As he escorted this girl back to the Hotel, numerous plans were formulating within Damian's mind. He had a start and that was important, but he also needed facts and clues that would lead him every closer to his ulterior objective...becoming a member of the Teen Titans.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Damian took down every little detail of it and committed them to memory as he prepared to return that night. Once the girl got off of the bike he felt a buzzing in his communicator. Pulling it out he could see that it was a message from Richard requesting his assistance at the airport. Starting up the bike, Damian sped up to meet with his mentor.

End Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay so here is chapter 4 of 'Secrets'. I am terribly sorry for the long wait as I did not mean for it to come to this. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I truly hope to have another update soon. On another note I meant to answer this question quite a while ago, but here they are (1) Yes the Titans will play a role in the story (mainly because I want to write Static and Blue Beetle) and they will be more in line with their comic counterparts save for Star, BB and Cy. (2) For what Raven would look more like, I would say that she looks more like she does in the Animated Series. Now I am once again very sorry about the wait, but I hope you review and enjoyed this chapter. Until next time, **

**Nanashi Wanderer. **


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